A prehistoric rock art drawings have been discovered in the Andriamamelo Cave in western Madagascar.
- These pictorial art, depict images of nature with human-like and animal-like figures.
- Scenes depicted in some cases linked up fairly directly to Egyptian religious motifs from the Ptolemaic period (300-30 BCE).
- Other inferences from symbols and writing on the walls showed connections to the Ethiopian and Afro-Arab worlds.
- Prevalent symbology and motifs evoked a two-millennia-old cave art style from Borneo.
- At least three extinct animals of Madagascar may be depicted – a giant sloth lemur, elephant birds and a giant tortoise.
- All these possible connections remind us that Madagascar’s people, language, and culture are in themselves syncretic, blending African and Asian influences to produce a unique Malagasy people.
- The Malagasy are a group of Austronesian-speaking ethnic groups indigenous to the island country of Madagascar.
